Fox Valley Tech intern Pacey Berken's chair design earned second place at the 2023 Association of Woodworking & Furnishings Suppliers (AWFS) Fresh Wood student furniture competition, Oct. 20, 2023. PC: Fox 11 Online
OSHKOSH, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — A woodworking intern from Fox Valley Technical College is being recognized for his handiwork.
A chair design he created earned a second place award at a furniture competition, which included more than 140 students from the U.S. and Canada.
When Appleton resident, Pacey Berken, chose his final project in the FVTC Woodworking Technology program, he was thinking of two people very special to him.
“My grandparents have always supported me throughout my life and they actually paid for my college education,” said Berken.
He says when designing these chairs, he wanted to make them as comfortable as possible.
“They’re getting a little older in age,” said Berken. “So I really paid attention to the height of the chair, is it going to be easy to get in and out of? Good back support. I know my grandfather just had an injury with his back so he’s told me this has been a really good help for him.”
Berken’s love for woodworking started in high school when he took a shop class. He was a 2020 graduate from Appleton North.
“COVID kind of put a halt to that and I was going to build an Adirondack chair as my final project in high school, and I never got to do that,” he said.
Berken then joined FVTC’s Woodworking Technology program.
“Final project got to build two identical pieces, so I ended up building four of these guys,” said Berken. “I said now’s the time to do it.”
His project, which is made from an exotic hardwood called African Sapele, caught the eyes of his instructors.
“It’s very cool, it’s very cool. Good for him, really put a lot of confidence there for him and it’s good for the program too,” said Glenn Koerner, woodworking technology instructor at FVTC.
Koerner has been teaching woodworking for 17 years. He encouraged Berken to enter the furniture competition.
“It’s a one full-year program,” said Koerner. “So we go through the entire year, summer months as well and we go from 8 o’clock to 3 o’clock to really try to mimic what it’s like in a cabinet shop.”
Just 40 of the 142 applicants were selected to go to Las Vegas for the competition. Berken was one of them. His chair won second place in his category.
“It was pretty cool,” said Berken. “I didn’t expect to get first, second, I was just happy to be there.”
Berken now works at Woodcraft in Appleton and interns at FVTC for the Woodworking Technology program.
“There’s never a dull moment,” he said. “It’s a great way to stretch your wings a little bit and show off your creativity and ingenuity.”
If you’re interested in a career in wood manufacturing, click here to view the classes FVTC has to offer.
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